Single-family rentals: the next big thing?

The housing crash has created the ideal conditions for institutions to invest in single-family rented housing. But this looks like a one-time opportunity. As house prices recover, so investor interest in single-family homes will fade. The upshot is that, while single-family rental housing is going to be an important new asset class for some investors over the next few years, it is always likely to be dwarfed by the existing, multi-family REIT market.